Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel

Victorian romance mixes seamlessly with elegant prose and biting wit—and werewolves—in Gail Carriger’s delightful debut novel. Soulless introduces Alexia Tarabotti, a parasol-wielding Londoner getting dangerously close to spinster status. But there are more important things than finding a husband. For Alexia was born without a soul, giving her the ability to render any vampire or werewolf completely powerless.

Prudence

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama ("Rue" to her friends) is bequeathed an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female under similar circumstances would do: she christens it the Spotted Custard and floats off to India. Soon she stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves.

Imprudence

Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England's scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue's best friend, Primrose, keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types. Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue's beginning to suspect what they really are...is frightened.

Etiquette & Espionage: Finishing School, Book 1

Fourteen-year old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. More interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea - and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy - Mrs. Temminnick is desperate her daughter become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish all right - but it's a different kind of finishing.

A Carriger Quartet

Four original, unabridged, full-cast productions of Gail Carriger's most beloved fantasy short stories: "The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar": A mummified cat, a secret agent, and an aristocrat entangle Alessandro Tarraboti (father of Alexia Tarraboti from the Parasol Protectorate series) in a rollicking, wry adventure into the supernatural secrets of ancient Egypt.

A Study in Silks

In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines - something Evelina has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty's secret laboratories. What's a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she's never found out?

Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel

Evil is most assuredly afoot - and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade... and a librarian. These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences - the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling - will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest...

At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire's talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It's not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices...

Steam and Sorcery

Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess....

Crudrat

Welcome to Wheel: a perfect world without poverty, disease, or want. Tinkered and tuned in every way for maximum order by Rank and Spoke, every child knows her destiny - so long as she can take the neural implant. The defective, whose bodies reject the implants, do not exist. Ghosts. Cyphers. Haunting the edges of society, living on scraps, killed for sport. A lucky few, the Crudrats, scrape out a perilous living cleaning the toxic wastes from the great machines that power the station.

Curse on the Land: Soulwood, Book 2

Before Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she had no one to rely on, finding strength only in her arcane connection to the dark woods around her. But now she has friends in the newly formed PsyLED team to keep her grounded - even if being part of the agency responsible for policing paranormals comes with dangers of its own.

Magic Binds: Kate Daniels, Book 9

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she's faced could have prepared her for this.... Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar.... Kate's father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power.

The Ghost Rebellion: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Book 5

The chase is on! After rescuing Queen Victoria from the clutches of the Maestro, Agents Eliza D Braun and Wellington Books are in hot pursuit of Dr. Henry Jekyll. While he continues his experiments on the aristocracy of Europe, he leaves a trail of chaos and despair in his wake. However, when Eliza and Wellington run him to ground in India, they are forced to come face to face with ghosts from the past, and the realities of empire.

The Janus Affair: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, Book 2

Certainly no strangers to peculiar occurrences, agents Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are nonetheless stunned to observe a fellow passenger aboard Britain's latest hypersteam train suddenly vanish in a dazzling bolt of lightning. They soon discover this is not the only such disappearance...with each case going inexplicably unexamined by the Crown. The fate of England is once again in the hands of an ingenious archivist paired with a beautiful, fearless lady of adventure.

Welcome to Nocturne Falls - the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year. Jayne Frost is a lot of things. Winter elf, Jack Frost's daughter, Santa Claus' niece, heir to the Winter Throne, and now...private investigator. Sort of. When she buys a sealed box at an estate sale and cat-related circumstances cause that box to be opened, life in Nocturne Falls starts to go haywire. Jayne has no choice but to figure out what she unleashed and how to recapture it.

A Lady of Integrity: The Magnificent Devices Series, Book 7

Will a daring rescue put a wedding and a future at risk? Lady Claire Trevelyan and renowned scientist Andrew Malvern are looking forward to domestic felicity in London when they are surprised by an unexpected visitor. A desperate and fugitive Alice Chalmers seeks their help - her ship has been seized in the Duchy of Venice and worse, her navigator Jake has been thrown into the dreaded underwater prison from which no one ever escapes. Even the innocent.

Where the Wild Things Bite

Delivering a rare book to a valued customer is definitely part of mild-mannered archivist Anna Whitfield's job description. You know what isn't? Protecting her precious cargo from midflight theft by the very pilot who is flying her to Half-Moon Hollow...while trying to appear as unappetizing as possible to the only other passenger, a vampire. Undead bookstore owner Jane Jameson could be waiting a very long time for her book. Possibly forever.

Crowned and Dangerous

Nothing is simple when you're 35th in line for the British crown, least of all marriage. But with love on their side and plans to elope, Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her beau, Darcy O'Mara, hope to bypass a few royal rules....

The Purloined Poodle

Thanks to his relationship with the ancient Druid Atticus O'Sullivan, Oberon the Irish wolfhound knows trouble when he smells it - and furthermore, he knows he can handle it. When he discovers that a prizewinning poodle has been abducted in Eugene, Oregon, he learns that it's part of a rash of hound abductions all over the Pacific Northwest. Since the police aren't too worried about dogs they assume have run away, Oberon knows it's up to him to track down those hounds and reunite them with their humans. For justice! And gravy!

Once Broken Faith: October Daye, Book 10

Politics have never been October "Toby" Daye's strong suit. When she traveled to the Kingdom of Silences to prevent them from going to war with her home, the Kingdom of the Mists, she wasn't expecting to return with a cure for elf-shot and a whole new set of political headaches. Now the events she unwittingly set in motion could change the balance of modern Faerie forever, and she has been ordered to appear before a historic convocation of monarchs. Naturally, things have barely gotten underway when the first dead body shows up.

The Great St. Mary's Day Out: A Chronicles of St. Mary's Short Story

Everyone deserves to get away for a bit. Even the miscreants at St Mary's. Astonishingly, Dr. Bairstow has declared a holiday. Even more astonishingly - he's paying for it. Needless to say, there are strings attached. They have to record the 1601 performance of Hamlet, with Shakespeare himself in the role of the Ghost. It doesn't go well, of course.

Big Vamp on Campus

Ophelia Lambert, 400-year-old vampire princess and college freshman, suddenly finds herself domesticated by humans and forced to suffer the indignities of dorm rooms, communal bathrooms, and a roommate with sticky fingers. As one of the hundreds of undead venturing into postsecondary education, Ophelia has a lot more to learn that just "undead studies" - she has to learn to get along with her fellow vampire classmates and, worst of all, her human ones.

Blood of the Earth: Soulwood, Book 1

When Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she was almost alone in the world, exiled by both choice and fear from the cult she was raised in, defending herself with the magic she drew from her deep connection to the forest that surrounds her. Now, Jane has referred Nell to PsyLED, a Homeland Security agency policing paranormals, and agent Rick LaFleur has shown up at Nell's doorstep.

In the Market for Murder: Lady Hardcastle, Book 2

Spring, 1909, and Lady Hardcastle, amateur sleuth and all-round eccentric, is enjoying a well-deserved rest. But a week after a trip to the cattle market, Spencer Caradine, a local farmer, turns up dead in the pub, face-down in his beef and mushroom pie. Once again, it is up to Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence, to solve the case.

Publisher's Summary

Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a damper on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

Carriger has done it again. The final installment of the Alexia Tarabotti series is just as engaging as the first 4 books. BUT in many ways, this book is more satisfying because we see happiness and closure for most of the main characters with just enough tantalizing loose ends to keep hope alive. Thank you Gail for bringing such a vividly entertaining world to light. I have enjoyed Alexia???s story and hope to read more about this steampunk world in the future. As always, Emily Gray is brilliant.

This series has become one of my favorites and it will be a go to book when I need a lift, especially in audio narrated by, the wonderful Emily Gray who embodies every character so perfectly.

Oh my how do I review this book without spoilers! In which I am sad this is the end of this series… Please reconsider Miss Carriger!!! This book was great and as hilarious as to be expected from this author! It was also bittersweet knowing that this is the last book in this series I guess the only consolation is that we do get new books with Prudence, and a YA series set in this same world, which I’m sure will be great!

Speaking of Prudence her parts in this book made me laugh out loud Dama Dama No wet! However for being the end of a series it really didn’t wrap up in fact some people’s stories just began (no spoilers). So in some ways the ending was bit unsatisfactory only because of the knowing that it is the end, I will so miss Alexia & Conall!

I look forward to anything else Miss Carriger writes because I’m sure they will hook me just as much as this series has!

What a wonderful way to end Alexia's story and give the beginnings of another. The author takes us on a whirlwind journey where one never knows what exactly is going to happen next. Elements from previous books all come together in this final one while at the same time, still giving us some mysteries to ponder over.

These books, I blush to report, feature Werewolves and Vampires in Victorian London, with a generous serving of steam punk on the side. Our heroine, Alexia Terrabotti, in addition to her abiding interest in proper dress and behavior, has a passion for tea (Assam) and treacle tarts. Shamefully, I have downloaded ALL of these silly books, and am now listening to the 5th one. Comic book stories, silly affected language (on purpose), extravagant Victorian costumes and foods, and a certain amount of bodice ripping. What???s not to like, as they say.

I just love this series! Its fun but still has enough story to make it worth listening to and look forward to the next book. Emily Gray is doing a lovely job of narrating and her Lord A is perfect. I like my steampunk done witty and light and Gail nails it. Perfect to listen to while cleaning the house, it will make you laugh and keep you scrubbing dishes even when its your least favorite chore!

Timeless wrapped up the Parasol Protectorate Series perfectly. Mysteries were solved, additional twists continued, all my favorite characters survived, and a two year old (who spoke in sounds, one word answers, and occasionally simple sentences) was introduced. Prudence was played as well as any of the other characters. With little material to work with, the author/narrator brought her to life with a very definite personality. Timeless not only wrapped up the series, but was a well thought out lead in to the next series. Start with Souless, read the series in order, and enjoy. I look forward to further audiobooks by Gail Carriger, and hope that Emily Gray narrates them as well.

I love this entire series. This author just has a way of making each book different and unique. The story line is a different take on the vampires and werewolf themes and has nice twists. The dry humor is a fun treat and you end up liking all the different personalities. I would rate the whole series as a good listen.

I love this series. I shared it with my mom and she is more obsessed than I am with it. That being said, this book was fabulous! Witty dialogue, amusing characters, interesting plot and lots of surprises. I am sad to bid Alexia goodbye. I heard that Ms Carriger will write several books about Alexia's daughter and will enjoy seeing how some of my favorite characters change. Since most of these characters are immortal I will get to meet them again. All the loose ends are tied up. Emily Gray was superb. She is one of my favorite narrators. This would be a great book to enjoy on spring break or anywhere. Must Have! :)

I don't usually go for the "steam-punk" genre but this series is really great. I waited until I had finished the series before writing my review just in case I didn't like it but I do. I thought this series was very well written and all of the characters are well rounded and engaging. Alexia, Conal and crew are wonderful. I truly enjoyed how all of the characters grew as the series progressed. I'm not going to give anything away but I really wanted Ms. Carriger to know she is doing a great job!